Woman Sues Pharmacies For Being Denied Morning-After Pill Due To Pharmacists' Beliefs

A mom is suing two pharmacies after being denied the morning-after pill due to the pharmacists‘ beliefs

A 39-year-old Minnesota mom of five is suing two pharmacies after being denied the morning-after pill not once, but twice. The reason? Pharmacists at two separate pharmacies refused to fill her prescription due to their beliefs.

Andrea Anderson headed to Thrifty White Pharmacy, her local pharmacy, to fill a prescription for Ella, the morning-after contraceptive that can prevent ovulation, block fertilization, or keep a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. According to ABC News, Anderson called in the script and was about to go pick it up when she received a call from the pharmacist telling her he couldn’t fill it due to his “personal beliefs.” The man also serves as a local pastor.

Anderson complained to the manager and was informed that this wasn’t the first time he had denied a woman the morning-after pill because of his personal feelings on the matter. She says she then tried a CVS store 25 minutes from her and was told she couldn’t get the pill there either due to the pharmacist’s beliefs. That pharmacist also allegedly informed Anderson that the pill wasn’t in stock at her local Walgreens, but when the mom called “to double check,” she found out that they had Ella and were willing to fill her script.

How about that.

The Walgreens pharmacist backed up Anderson’s claim, according to her lawsuit, saying that they had spoken with someone at CVS. “The pharmacists I encountered ignored my health needs and my doctor’s instructions,” Anderson said via the lawsuit. “I could not believe this was happening. I was angry.”

CVS tells ABC that they’re reviewing the complaint and investigating what happened. “CVS Pharmacy is committed to providing access to emergency contraception, whether it is at the pharmacy counter for patients who have a prescription for it, or in our store aisles where we have sold over-the-counter emergency contraception for several years,” they said.

Might want to tell your pharmacists that.

The thing is, this kind of decision should be between a woman and her doctor. That’s it. The rights a woman has to what’s happening in her own body are eroding all the time thanks to recent state laws and attempts at passing bills to limit a woman’s reproductive choices. Anderson is fighting for something she should have without question — and it doesn’t appear that things will be improving on this front until we elect more officials who care about protecting our rights.